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Takuma Sato may not be the best Formula One driver on the grid, but his tendancy to crash into barriers and other cars have made him one of the most talked about and earned him a notorious reputation. Accidents are hardly a recently-discovered phenomenon for Taku. Arriving in F1 in 2002 as reigning British F3 champion, the then 25-year-old often made headlines for all the wrong reasons. Being the first rookie to crash in Australia and then bumping into his Jordan team-mate - Giancarlo Fisichella - early on gave the earnest Takuma a reputation for being a liability. But the resilient Sato took it all in his stride and went on to prove he can - sometimes - be fast and keep it on the island. Nonetheless, the funniest sight of that year was arguably Taku wading back through the undergrowth in Montreal whilst trying to get back to the pits and into the spare car. Most worrying sight of the year was when Nick Heidfeld's out-of-control Sauber rammed a helpless Taku in Austria. Luckily both survived with only the slightest of injuries. His home race at Suzuka, though, proved to be a fantastic finale for him and Jordan. Yet despite claiming fifth place in front of his joyous home crowd, Taku lost his Jordan seat, which some believed was inevitable after his backers Honda ended their engine contract with Eddie Jordan's team. After spending the 2003 season testing for BAR, Taku returned to the grid for the final race of that year's campaign at Japan and impressed by finishing in the points. Promoted to a race seat alongside Jenson Button in 2004, Sato had a mixed season, his speed rarely in doubt - unlike his judgement. Nurburgring was a case in point; Takuma delivered a searing display and yet, with second place his for the taking, he threw it away with an ill-advised and catastrophic lunge into Rubens Barrichello's Ferrari. Nevertheless, his first podium was eventually forthcoming at the United States GP. Although his season total of 34 points was barely a third of what team-mate Jenson Button had collected, BAR extended Taku's contract for 2005. Most observers suspected that his nationality, and Honda's patronage, was the only reason why. 2005 proved to be a wretched season for the Japanese driver, who had his first top-eight finish (in San Marino) disallowed after his team-mate's car was deemed illegal. This not only led to BAR's disqualification from the race but also a two-race ban. Taku finished only one other GP in the points, finishing P8 in Hungary. But while points were scarce, shunts were not, and by the end of the season he'd connected with at least half the drivers on the grid. The most notable moment being his Spa accident with Michael Schumacher which ended with the Ferrari ace slapping Taku's crash helmet. Tired of the lack of results and hefty repair bills BAR, now owned entirely by Honda, finally opted not to renew Taku's deal, leaving him without a race-seat for 2006. But just when it looked as if his F1 career had come to an abrupt end, he was handed a lifeline by newcomers Super Aguri. Facing some low-level competition from first Yuji Ide and then Sakon Yamamoto, Sato was very much the team leader. While points were never on the cards, the small team made good progress through the season and it was fairly common to see Sato running ahead of more established rivals early in the races. The season finale in Brazil was by far Sato's best race of the season as he took the chequered flag in tenth position ahead of six of his rivals. Sato remained at Super Aguri and was joined by his new team-mate Anthony Davidson, who also was previously his team-mate at Carlin Motorsport in British F3. Sato started the 2007 season strongly, qualifying in tenth place for the season-opening Australian GP. This represented the team's best-ever result in qualifying. He then finished eighth in the Spanish GP, to record Super Aguri's first ever World Championship point. His greatest moment came in Canada when he overtook the McLaren of World Champion Fernando Alonso, just after overtaking Ralf Schumacher and having overtaken Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen earlier in he race. He eventually finished sixth in Montreal after having a race that had seen him move from the middle of the grid to the back of the pack and then to a high of fifth - before a pit-stop error caused him to move back to eleventh. From there, he moved up five places in the last 15 laps. The Canadian Grand Prix turned out to be Sato's last points finish of the season, but it still earned him 17th position in the Drivers' Championship standings with four points, his best result since 2004. Sato remains with Super Aguri in 2008 where the team will once again be hoping for a step forward in their results.
Born: 28.01.77
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
Team: Super Aguri
2008 Car Number: 18
Last Season: 17th
9/05/2008
TAKUMA SATO PROFILE
FERNANDO ALONSO PROFILE
Fernando Alonso is hoping a return to Renault this season will once again see him crowned F1's World Champion as he resumes his favoured number one status. The then 23-year-old's first race was in a Minardi at the 2001 Australian GP. It was quickly obvious that Fernando was too quick to be a mere backmarker and it was no surprise when manager Flavio Briatore promoted Fernando to the role of Renault tester and then handed him a race seat for 2003. Since then his rise has been astonishing, with the next 12 months witnessing Fernando becoming the youngest driver ever on pole, the youngest to set a fastest lap and his win in Hungary in 2003 made him the youngest ever GP winner. However, Renault struggled to match their 2003 exploits in 2004 and for a while Fernando's star appeared to be on the wane. Yet he returned to something akin to his previous form in the latter half of the campaign, finishing third in successive races at Hockenheim and Budapest. The back-to-back podium finishes, though, were only a hint of what was to come and even before the halfway point of the 2005 season it was clear to (almost) everyone that in Fernando Alonso, F1 had found its new king. While his rivals suffered with either a lack of pace or an abundance of reliability gremlins, Fernando, his R25 and its Michelin tyres were bordering on the flawless, claiming seven wins, eight podium finishes and the ultimate prize, the Drivers' Championship title. Fernando clinched the title at the Brazilian GP, race 17, ending Michael Schumacher's five-year reign, Kimi Raikkonen's title dream, Spain's title drought and Emerson Fittipaldi's long-standing record for being the youngest-ever F1 World Champion. Despite announcing in November 2005 that he would be joining the McLaren team for 2007, Alonso stayed with Renault for the 2006 season where, once again he partnered Giancarlo Fisichella. As predicted, Fernando went on to claim back-to-back World tiles, although it wasn't as easy as it had been the previous season. Not only was the season dogged by controversy and the banning of Renault's mass dampers, but the Spaniard was also pushed all the way to the finish line by Michael Schumacher. And one could argue that in the end Fernando's title efforts were helped by Schumacher's misfortunes in the final two races. But no matter how it came about, it was Alonso who was crowned the 2006 World Champion when he finished second at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix. However, his first season - and perhaps his last - with McLaren didn't produce the results we've come to expect from Alonso. Although he claimed four race wins and finished the year third in the Drivers' standings, albeit one point behind the 2007 World Champion, his season was fraught with arguments. First there was Stepneygate, which saw Alonso's email conversations with test driver Pedro de la Rosa, sink McLaren, earning them a massive fine and their disqualification from the Constructors' Championship. Second there were his on-going arguments with Ron Dennis over his desire preferential treatment. And thirdly there was his on- and off-track fights with his team-mate Lewis Hamilton. All in all, Alonso was not cast in a glowing light, often billed as the villian and two weeks after the conclusion of the season it was announced that he would be leaving McLaren after the two parties failed to see how they could continue working together. After much debate and the news that Renault won't be punished after being accused of being in possession of McLaren's secret technical data, it was announced that Alonso would be returning to the team with whom he won both his World titles. And the Spaniard can look forward to a season of being top dog as Renault have signed rookie driver Nelson Piquet Jr as his 2008 team-mate. But whether being number 1 will be enough to help Alonso to a third World title with Renault remains to be seen as the team has a lot of work ahead if they hope to turn around from their disappointing 2007 campaign.
Born: 29.07.81
Birthplace: Oviedo, Spain
Team: Renault
2008 Car Number: 5
Last Season: Third
FELIPE MASSA PROFILE
Once regarded as the 'enfant terrible' of F1, Felipe Massa has come into his own with Ferrari, earning him a new contract extension until the end of 2010. Massa joined the F1 grid in 2002. Quick out of the blocks in the Ferrari-engined Sauber, there were already rumours that he would be replacing Rubens Barrichello at Ferrari. Felipe's reputation had been enhanced by Peter Sauber's astute signing of Kimi Raikkonen the previous year, but as the season progressed it became obvious that Raikkonen held the larger talent and Massa was more wild than wonderful. Although he got very close to Nick Heidfeld's performances he was guilty of overdriving the Sauber C21 and at Monza was fined by the stewards and deducted 10 grid places for a needless accident with Pedro de la Rosa. As it was, Peter Sauber signed up Frentzen for 2003, offering Massa the role of test driver, which he declined in favour of a test role at Ferrari. Following a season of testing for the Scuderia, Massa was once again confirmed as a Sauber driver for 2004, in what speculation suggested was a calculated move by Ferrari to bring the Brazilian back in F1 so that he could gain more experience before moving back to the Scuderia at a later stage. After struggling to match Giancarlo Fisichella, Felipe remained with Sauber in 2005 where he was joined by 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, and thereby given the chance to really demonstrate his talent. However, had it not been for his sixth-placed finish in Bahrain, Felipe would have spent the entire season trailing his team-mate in the points table despite largely having the upper hand on GP weekends. A difficult season for Sauber, though, ended with Felipe 13th in the drivers' table, two points ahead of JV. His reward was considerable: a race seat with Ferrari as a replacement for the outgoing Rubens Barrichello. Alongside Michael Schumacher, 2006 was to prove the pivotal season in Massa's nascent career. Felipe performed more than admirably after a slow start to the season and was soon challenging Schumacher in both qualifying and the races. He claimed three pole positions and more importantly, two victories, Turkey and Brazil, with the latter seeing him become the first Brazilian since the late great Ayrton Senna to win the Sao Paulo race. A third-placed finish in the Drivers' Championship saw him finish the season ahead of the likes of Giancarlo Fisichella and his 2007 Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen. However, the Brazilian lost out to Raikkonen in their first season as team-mates, finishing fourth in the standings while the Finn clinched the 2007 Drivers' Championship title. Although he claimed three wins and an additional eight podium finishes, Massa found himself out of the title race with three races remaining. From there his role was to support Raikkonen, which he did admirably, giving up the season-ending Brazilian GP win in order to ensure his team-mate clinched the title. In 2008, though, Massa needs to step up to the plate and prove to Ferrari and his fans that he's a Championship winner and not the preverbial number two.
Born: 25.04.81
Birthplace: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Team: Ferrari
2008 Car Number: 2
Last Season: Fourth
KIMI RAIKKONEN PROFILE
In spite of his publicity-shy nature, Kimi Raikkonen has been in the spotlight ever since his controversial arrival on the grid (and is also reputedly something of a wildman away from the track. You'd never guess from those monosyllabic press interviews would you?). And now he's also the reigning F1 Champion! Sauber boss Peter Sauber surprised the world of F1 when he announced late in 2000 that he had offered the 21-year-old Finn a race deal for the following season on provision that he was handed the necessary superlicense. Having competed in just 23 car races, Raikkonen became one of the least experienced drivers ever to enter F1, but immediately delivered impressive testing performances to justify the Swiss team's faith in him. Earlier in his career, his international results in karting were the best ever achieved by a Finnish driver, and he went on to further impress by winning the 2000 British Formula Renault Championship after taking seven wins in 10 races. Although he met with opposition from F1 drivers wary of accepting a driver on the grid with even less experience than Jenson Button the year before him, Raikkonen proved his critics wrong. His debut season with Sauber was sensational, the apparently ice-cool youngster proving within just a handful of races that he was a special talent. By the time Mika Hakkinen told Ron Dennis that he was thinking of taking a sabbatical in 2002, the race was on to sign the younger Finn. McLaren and Ferrari both wanted his services, but Kimi was swayed by the fact that if he drove for Ferrari he'd be a No.2 driver to Schumacher while at McLaren he would be allowed to win. His 2002 season was also electric, but an underpowered McLaren on less than perfect Michelins meant he was rarely able to challenge for the lead. Although he didn't outscore his team-mate Coulthard, he regularly outqualified him. It was only due to the team's very 'un-McLaren-like' poor reliability that he didn't finish any higher than sixth place overall with 24 points. The low point of his year came when he led the French Grand Prix with two laps left before sliding wide on oil left by Allan McNish's retiring Toyota. Marshals had failed to put warning oil flags out and the Finn was left with the sight of Michael Schumacher squeezing past him and claiming his fifth world title in the process. Yet the Finn's first win wasn't long in coming. With McLaren beginning the 2003 season in dominant fashion, Raikkonen took the chequered flag at the Malaysian GP, the second race of the campaign. A string of podium finishes followed, and at the halfway stage of the campaign Raikkonen was leading the Drivers' standings. However, the McLaren was falling behind both the Williams and Ferrari at this stage and it was only Raikkonen's tenacity and ability to steadily accumulate points which kept him in the hunt. The Championship fight went to the wire in Japan, but a win for Rubens Barrichello guaranteed another title for Ferrari team-mate Michael Schumacher. Hopes were high that Kimi could go one better in 2004 but even before the Finn was expressing concern at the MP4-19. They were well-founded. The team's new charger was wretched, ensuring the worst, and most embarrassing, start to a season. Eventually the team unveiled a replacement, yet it was too late to save their season. Still, the MP4-19B did restore some pride within the team and also enabled Kimi to score his second grand prix victory, a stunning drive at the Belgian GP which left Schumi trailing in his wake. 2005 was a bitter-sweet season for Kimi during which he experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows. While the Finn had the fastest car on the grid, it was unfortunately powered by a temperamental Mercedes engine. Despite seven grands prix wins and an additional five podium finishes, he eventually had to settle for second place behind Fernando Alonso in the Drivers' battle. Remaining with McLaren-Mercedes in 2006, the team had one more season to hand the World title to Kimi. They couldn't. In fact, they couldn't even hand him one single race win. Despite claiming two pole positions and three fastest race lap times, the Finn struggled to get on the podium, claiming just six top-three finishers, none of which was a P1. He finished the year fifth in the Drivers' Championship, quite a drop from the runner-up spot he claimed the previous year. Raikkonen, though, came back into form in 2007, his first season with Ferrari, winning the season-opening Australian GP after dominating the earlier sessions. But his form spluttered soon after as he battled with reliability gremlins and the occasional driver error. He fought back in style at the French GP where he claimed his second win of the season which he followed up with win number three in Britain. However, a retirement in Germany seemed to throw his out of the Championship, leaving him in a fight to catch up to the two McLaren drivers in the latter part of the season. A string of six podium finishes including two race wins meant Raikkonen entered the final grand prix of the year trailing Championship leader Lewis Hamilton by seven points. The Ferrari driver, though, surprised many when he managed to pull it off claiming the race victory and the 2007 Drivers' Championship title by one point over the McLaren duo. It was a feat that will see Raikkonen go down in the history books as one of four drivers to come from third place ahead of the final event to win the World title. Having settled in at Ferrari, Raikkonen is already promising a more dominant season and a strong title defence in 2008.
Born: 17.10.79
Birthplace: Espoo, Finland
Team: Ferrari
2008 Car Number: 1
Last Season: Champion
David Nalbandian PROFILE
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| Five years ago David Nalbandian reached the semi-finals here just a year after making the Wimbeldon final and was tipped to challenge for more Grand Slams in years to come. Although he reached the last four of the Australian Open twice, he has failed to reach the same heights in New York, going out in the last 32 last year. The Argentine underachieved at the three majors so far this season and on current form, it's hard to see him making a real impact here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Stanislas Wawrinka PROFILE
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| A relative unknown despite being ranked 10th in the world, Wawrinka is destined to live in the shadow of his compatriot Roger Federer. A runner-up in Doha and quarter-finalist in Indian Wells, Wawrinka made his first Masters Series final (in Rome)this season and reached the last four in Barcelona. Solid fourth round and third round appearances at Wimbledon and the French Open respectively will give him confidence ahead of the U.S, but his recent form is not great and he is likely to struggle to repeat last year's feat of making the fourth round. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ivo Karlovic PROFILE
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| Unsurprisingly at almost seven feet tall, Karlovic's greatest asset is his powerful serve which has served him well on all surfaces, emphasised by the fact he was the only man apart from Roger Federer to win titles on three surfaces in 2007. The Croatian reached the third round of the Australian Open and the beginning of 2008 but failed to get past the first hurdle at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. However, a surprise win over Roger Federer at the Cincinnati Masters where he reached the semi-finals will give him hope he can get past the third round here for the first time. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Gilles Simon PROFILE
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| French number two Simon has slowly been working his way up the rankings, making steady improvement this season by making it to round three of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon, losing out to Rafael Nadal and compatriot Richard Gasquet respectively. In his last outing in Beijing, the 23-year-old defeated Robin Soderling and Guillermo Canas before losing to James Blake. A recent win over Roger Federer at the Rogers Cup on the hardcourt will give him hope of making it past round three of a Grand Slam event for the first time. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Fernando Gonzalez PROFILE
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| On his day Gonzalez is capable of beating anyone as was shown at last year's Australian Open when he reached the final. Prior to a French Open last eight loss to Roger Federer earlier this season the Chilean had racked up 16 successive wins and if he can repeat that sort of form he could be a real threat here. And he could have asked for no better preparation than winning a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Beijing, beating Sun Peng, Marin Cilic, Olivier Rochus, Paul-Henri Mathieu and James Blake before losing to Rafael Nadal in the final. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nikolay Davydenko PROFILE
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| Solid performer Davydenko has reached the semi-finals here in the last two years, losing to eventual winner Roger Federer both times. The Russian reached the last 16 in Australia but comes into this tournament on the back of first round exit at Wimbledon. Despite those good performances here in the last two years, it's hard to see Davydenko pushing on and emerging as a serious threat to the top three this time around. The bookies agree - odds of 80/1 suggest another decent if unspectacular showing. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Andy Murray PROFILE
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| His Wimbledon comeback win against Richard Gasquet won over many Britons unsure whether the Scot Murray has what it takes to become a top player. Despite losing to Rafael Nadal in the last eight at SW19, Murray has continued to enhance his reputation, winning his first Masters series title in Cincinnati earlier this month. However, as one of the favourites to win a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, Murray crashed to a shock first round defeat to Lu Yen-Hsun. His previous best here came in 2006 when he reached the last 16 and on current form, Beijing aside, you would fancy him to improve on that this year. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Agnieszka Radwanska PROFILE
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| The Polish 19-year-old has soared up the rankings this year following her recent breakthrough in the women's game and she'll now be hoping to convert her form to the Grand Slam arena. And her confidence has no doubt grown ahead of the US Open in the wake of her run the quarter-finals of Wimbledon, where she was eventually knocked out by runner-up Serena Williams. The right-hander from Krakow has clinched three tournaments this year in Pattaya City, Istanbul and Eastbourne so she's certainly one to watch at Flushing Meadows. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ana Ivanovic PROFILE
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| Ivanovic's position at the top of the rankings is hardly secure given the wide open nature of the women's game since the shock retirement of Justine Henin in May and given her recent injury worries, there are no guarantees of a lengthy US Open run. The 20-year-old Serb followed up her maiden Grand Slam triumph at the French Open with a third-round exit at Wimbledon while she was forced to withdraw from the Beijing Olympics with a thumb problem. In past years at Flushing Meadows she's failed to go beyond the fourth round so she'll see this as an ideal opportunity to put that record right. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Jelena Jankovic PROFILE
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| Despite emerging as one of the biggest names in the women's game, Jankovic has never made a Grand Slam final - let alone win one. The Serbian followed up her semi-final appearances at the Australian and French Opens with a disappointing fourth-round exit at Wimbledon while she was knocked out of the Olympics by Dinara Safina in the quarter-finals. Jankovic's other recent runs to the semis in Los Angeles and quarters in Montreal proves she consistently reaches the latter stages but just needs to find the killer touch when it really matters. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Daniela Hantuchova PROFILE
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| It's fair to say Hantuchova has flattered to deceive throughout her career and has really only threatened to go the distance at one Grand Slam - this year's Australian Open. It was the first time the Slovakian had ever reached the last four of a major but since then missed the French Open through injury and was dumped out of Wimbledon at the second-round stage. The 25-year-old didn't enjoy the best of Olympic Games either, slipping to Caroline Wozniacki in round two, so once again she'll remain an outsider for the forthcoming major at Flushing Meadows. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Marion Bartoli PROFILE
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| Bartoli shot to fame at last year's Wimbledon when she was a beaten finalist but since then hasn't come close to reaching similar heights. Back-to-back first round exits at the Australian and French Opens earlier this year were followed up by disappointment in the third round in SW19 but the 23-year-old showed signs of form by making the final of July's Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, where she lost to Aleksandra Wozniak. Bartoli, who plays two-handed on both sides, leads the French challenge at Flushing Meadows but few are expecting a genuine title challenge. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dinara Safina PROFILE
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| There's no doubt Olympic silver medallist Safina has been one of the revelations of the season and will be looking to continue her brilliant form at the US Open. The 22-year-old Russian recently claimed back-to-back tour titles when she followed up her triumph at the East West Bank Classic in Los Angeles with a dominant straight-sets victory over Dominika Cibulkova to clinch the Rogers Cup. That success in Montreal was also Safina's third crown in six events having also won the German Open in May while her run to the final of the Olympics and French Open this year more than suggests she's ready to produce her best at Grand Slam level. Flushing Meadows hasn't exactly been a happy hunting ground for Safina but she's now in great shape to improve on her previous best of the quarter-finals, which she reached in 2006. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Agnes Szavay PROFILE
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| The US Open will be the Hungarian number one's seventh Grand Slam event and she'll be looking to at least emulate last year's achievement of reaching the quarter-final, where she lost to eventual runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova. The 19-year-old right-hander has come a long way in such a short time, climbing the rankings with victories in Palermo and Beijing throughout 2007, although she's still without a tour title this season. In Beijing her Olympic dream ended at the first hurdle with a defeat to home hope Jie Zheng but nevertheless a promising career lies ahead. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Victoria Azarenka PROFILE
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| The tall 19-year-old from Minsk has yet to win her first career singles title although she has tasted success at Flushing Meadows before - winning last year's US Open mixed doubles title. Even so, more singles success is expected from Azarenka, who has never gone beyond the fourth round in any Grand Slam in 11 attempts. A beaten finalist on the Gold Coast and in Prague this year, Azarenka reached the third round at the recent Olympic Games, before falling to Venus Williams. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Serena Williams PROFILE
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| Williams is a two-time US Open winner but the last time she tasted glory at Flushing Meadows was back in 2002. Since then the powerful American has done no better than the quarter-finals and in 2007 succumbed to the eventual champion Justine Henin. Having picked up three tour titles during the current season, the eight-time Grand Slam champion will no doubt back her chances of going the distance once more but she will probably hope to avoid sister Venus, who beat her in the Wimbledon final. In Beijing, Serena's Olympic dream ended in the quarter-finals against Elena Dementieva so she'll be more than happy to be back on home territory. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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